Ellesmere

Another later start this morning as we cast off at 10:20. We also had a much calmer day with no locks to contend with. We did however have three lift bridges; we have a good routine for these now so no dramas there. We have found that we can plod on for quite a while without seeing any oncoming boats only to come across three at tricky spots, this is common at lift bridges it seems.

This morning Sarah drove the boat for a bit while Andrew went for a little walk along the towpath for just over a mile. This afternoon we reversed roles and Sarah had a little walk. It was nice to stretch our legs a little, even if the towpath was very muddy in places.

As we needed a few supplies we pulled into the Ellesmere Branch to moor up and pop to Tesco. We also took the opportunity to wander into the town itself. There is not much to the town and it has a sleepy, run-down feel to it but it was nice to have a little look.

Rather than go to the winding hole at the end of the branch Andrew reversed out of the branch back onto the main canal. Reversing a narrowboat is rather difficult due to the limited steering but Andrew was quite pleased with his attempt. He then picked up Sarah, who had been acting as lookout for other boats, before stopping at the water point to fill up. This was slow going as another boat was doing the same so the water pressure was quite low.

Today we can add to the list of vegetables spotted floating down the canal. Sarah spotted a butternut squash, Andrew spotted a cabbage leaf and we were really amused when another leek floated by. We are wondering what we will spot tomorrow.

We stopped for the night a little way on from Ellesmere.Read more